In the field of security documents, the need to add layers of secure elements to cards, passports and other identification documents and materials is increasing. Recent improvements in the state of the art to reproduce images of the actual document owner in the document material itself include the use of “embedded holograms” in optical memory cards, personalized laser perforation of documents and plastic cards, and the generation of personalized holographic images in plastic overlay materials. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,680,459; 4,814,594 and 5,421,619, assigned to the assignee of the present invention and hereby incorporated by reference, describe the creation of laser recorded data in optical memory cards.
Special emphasis is given to international secure documents in having what is known as a “personalized optically variable device having diffractive characteristics”. There is a need for a simpler and more secure method of generating and applying an optically variable device containing personalized data, for application on cards and other secure documents. Secure identification documents need the ability to securely link the cardholder to the token document, such as an identification card or driver's license. Much forgery and counterfeiting is aimed at either altering the existing printed face image on a card, or counterfeiting such cards from scratch using existing materials.
Much progress has been made to make such attempts more difficult, by the addition of other elements and features on the document to reproduce the same image of the rightful cardholder's image in alternate materials. These materials are chosen to be difficult to procure or replicate to resist counterfeiting, and should be done in a permanent, unalterable process such that the image cannot be changed by forgery.
One example of such a secure identification card system is the use of an “embedded hologram” utilized on optical memory cards. In this system, the printed image of the cardholders is converted into a bitmapped image file that is written into the optical media data tracks by a low power semiconductor laser in the optical head of the optical card reader/writer device. The reader/writer changes the encoding format to then also write the digital files containing the cardholder image information into remaining open data tracks on the same optical card media surface. This system therefore provides both eye-visible and computer readable versions of the cardholder's personalized image printed on the surface of the document, providing excellent enhanced document security.
Although the existing optical card based “embedded hologram” technique provides an excellent feature of an optical card, it requires the use of a specifically constructed optical card and optical card reader/writer encoder unit. Both the card and reader/writer unit are intended for high-speed random access digital data recording as their primary purpose; the embedded hologram feature is an add-on to these standard products.
The resulting standard system therefore has significant limitation on cost and flexibility, when the primary object is the insertion of only an embedded hologram optical feature into a card or document.
Automated standard systems for producing integrated circuit cards, also known as smart cards, are known in the art. Smart cards contain an integrated circuit device or chip within the card that may be placed in data communication within a smart card reader. An example of a company that employs an automated standard system for producing smart cards is Mühlbauer AG. Such a system is cost efficient and allows for the mass production of smart cards. Smart card manufacturing is described in detail in “Smart Card Manufacturing A Practical Guide”. Yahya Haghiri & Thomas Tarantino, Smart Card Manufacturing A Practical Guide (John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 2002)(1999)).
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved method for manufacturing an optical security card having an optical security chip.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for enhancing the security of optical security cards.